2017 Audi A5 Coupe 2.0 TFSI Quattro Quick Review

By John Carey, 23 Jun 2016Car Reviews

Audi’s curvy new A5 Coupe will reach Australia sometime in the first half of 2017, and it’s a two-door worth waiting for. This is one of the prettiest projects to emerge from the company’s design studios in recent years. Its shapely proportions and eye-pleasing details – especially the wave-shaped shoulder lines down each side – give the A5 Coupe a dose of visual appeal that’s missing from the new Audi A4 sedan and Avant wagon.

STRENGTHS

Though they look quite different, the A4 and A5 Coupe are very closely related under the skin. Both are built on the ‘MLB Evo’ platform, meaning lots of important technology is shared. The list includes unseen body structure parts, suspension, steering, brakes, engines, transmissions, and more.

The A4 has been justly praised as the best medium-size car Audi has ever produced. The company’s ‘MLB Evo’ technology is just as impressive in the new A5 Coupe. This is an agile car, with accurate steering and a nicely balanced attitude when cornering.

Audi’s new 2.0 TFSI quattro model, with seven-speed double-clutch auto, is perhaps the sweetest spot in the A4 line-up. It blends strong turbocharged acceleration with good fuel efficiency and quattro all-wheel-drive traction.

This combo works just as well in the A5 Coupe. In line with the two-door’s sportier role, Audi’s engineers seem to have equipped it with a slightly louder exhaust system. The result is that you can better hear the turbo 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine’s growl. Compared to the current A5 Coupe, the new and upgraded engine brings a welcome 15kW power increase.

The A5 Coupe’s dashboard and centre console are the same as those used in the A4, and there’s nothing wrong with this. Audi is regularly praised for the quality of its interiors, and with good reason. The company is also at the pointy end of the premium car field when it comes to infotainment and driver aid technologies.

WEAKNESSES

For reasons of style, the A5 Coupe rides on shorter and stiffer springs. This improves the car’s stance on the road, but the firmer suspension doesn’t blot out the bumps as well.

Inside, the new A5 Coupe is roomier than before. But while the new platform allowed Audi’s engineers to make the cabin a little longer and wider, the rear seat, designed for only two occupants, is still short on headroom for taller adults.

With the Australian launch of the A5 Coupe months away, Audi is still working out the details of standard equipment lists and prices. What they’re aiming to do is position the new models close to their equivalents in the current range. So expect a price tag of around $80,000 for the A5 Coupe 2.0 TFSI quattro. This is a hefty $10,000 premium over an A4 sedan – which has exactly the same stuff under its bonnet.

ANY RIVALS I SHOULD CONSIDER?

Absolutely, beginning with the usual suspects…

The BMW 428i is a must-drive. Also try the Mercedes-Benz C300 Coupe. Both feature lively turbo four-cylinder engines and are priced close to where Audi expects to position the A5 Coupe 2.0 TFSI quattro.

For something with a slightly different flavour, the Lexus RC 350 F-Sport shouldn’t be overlooked. Though less expensive than any similar German, this coupe packs a more powerful V6 engine into a distinctively Japanese package.